A police report against Mark Zuckerberg has been filed in Stockholm over fraudulent ads

The Swedish media organization Utgivarna, which brings together the leading Swedish media outlets (SVT, Sveriges Radio, UR, TV4, Sveriges Tidskrifter and Tidningsutgivarna), filed a police report against Mark Zuckerberg in Stockholm on 28 November 2025.

The head of Meta is accused of fraud, aiding and abetting fraud, and preparing to commit fraud due to large-scale scam ads on Facebook and Instagram that used the faces of Swedish journalists, in accordance with Sections 9 and 23 of the Swedish Penal Code.

It is also reported that the ads systematically infringed trademark rights by falsifying and using the logos of major media outlets without permission, including SVT, TV4, Aftonbladet and Expressen.

Utgivarna has repeatedly contacted Meta through all official channels since 2023, demanding that the ads be stopped. However, as the organization’s chairman Thomas Mattsson stated:

“We have used the alert systems provided by Meta to try to remove fake ads using our media brands and journalists, but the response — when there is any response at all — is slow, and very often obvious fraud remains on Facebook and Instagram despite our warnings and protests.”